09/01/2024
FOOT DROP
Foot drop is the inability to dorsiflex your ankle or having difficulty in lifting your forefoot. This normally occurs following weakness in any of the ankle dorsiflexors, usually the tibialis anterior muscle.
The weakness occurs as a result of an injury to the main nerve that gives innervation to the tibialis anterior muscle called common peroneal nerve.
The common peroneal nerve is one of two main branches of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve which takes its roots from L4-S3 spinal roots and travels down the thigh before dividing into two main branches, which one of them forms the common peroneal nerve. The common peroneal nerve further divides into deep and superficial nerves.
The deep peroneal nerve gives innervation to the tibialis anterior muscle, which is the primary mover of the ankle into dorsiflexion.
Injury to this nerve will result to weakness in the tibialis anterior muscle and this will result to a dropped foot.
This means that, there will be an unopposed force from the ankle dorsiflexors due to the weakness, and will cause the foot to remain plantarflexed.
When this is not corrected, the patient gait will be badly affected.
CAUSES/RISK FACTORS:
The main cause of foot drop can be as result of injury or irritation of the deep peroneal nerve. As the deep peroneal nerve is one of the branches of the sciatic nerve, having problem with the sciatic nerve predisposes one’s chances for foot drop.
Conditions that create sciatic pressure such as lumbar disc herniation, spondylolisthesis,and spinal stenosis, as well as infection, medical problems like tumor or stroke, neurological disorders like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, GBS, Parkinson’s disease and muscular dystrophy may equally pose a higher risk for foot drop. In the same way, foot drop may occur following irritation of the peroneal nerve in hip and knee replacement surgeries.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:
Early signs of foot drop include the following;
1. Numbness on the top part of the foot
2. Trouble holding onto footwear, especially flip-flops or shoes without back
3. Weakness lifting the foot at the ankle
The latter can be the main reason for a stepping gait pattern in most patients with foot drop, which is very abnormal.
Kindly complete your understanding by clicking on the link shared below for diagnosis and treatment ways for foot drop. Remember to like this post, give us a congratulatory comment (if indeed you have read this post) and also try and share this post across.
